The English Version of Some Korean Songs
Many K-Pop artists have multinational fans. Of course, some artists wanted to release their songs in an English version. With the English version of the song, some international fans could understand the songs, or even sing along with the song without searching for the lyrics first. Let’s see some K-pop artists that have been making English versions of their songs.
2NE1 – Can’t Nobody
2NE1’s song titled Can’t Nobody was released on September 12th, 2010. Can’t Nobody is an original song from the album ‘To Anyone’, and is a dance-pop song. This song was produced and written by YG Entertainment producer, Teddy Park, and was released as the sixth single from the album. The music video was released on September 12, 2010. The song was first shown on SBS’s ‘The Music Trend’.
The English version was first released on February 2, 2011, exclusively on iTunes Japan. It was later announced on March 31, 2011, that the English would be uploaded by April 7, 2011. As planned, the English version of Can’t Nobody was re-released officially on 2NE1’s YouTube channel on April 11, 2011. The Korean version of the video currently has over 40 million views as of December, 2019.
There wasn’t an English Version of music video, as the music video was only released in its Korean version.
Wonder Girls – Nobody
Nobody is a song performed by the South Korean girl-group Wonder Girls, from their first EP, The Wonder Years: Trilogy. The album was released as a digital download on September 22, 2008, in South Korea. The song was written and published by Park Jin-young and featured samples from La Italian trio Johnny Johnny. It soon rose to prominence, becoming the top searched term and ranking number one on various digital music sites. The song is supported and released in different languages: Korean, English, Mandarin, and Japanese.
The live video of Nobody on M! Countdown was some of the most viewed K-pop video on YouTube until it was passed on September 1, 2011, by the music video for Gee by Girls’ Generation. The live show is also the first K-pop video to reach 50 million views on YouTube (in 2011). Even this song ranked at #43 on Billboard on the list of the 100 Best Girl Group Songs of All Time.
Wonder Girls’ official Myspace stated that an English version of Nobody would be released in the United States sometime in 2009, serving as their debut single there, with JYP Entertainment confirming the release in June 2009. Nobody was released to iTunes on June 26, 2009, and to Amazon MP3 a day later. Wonder Girls have set up an official YouTube account, and it includes the English version of music video itself.
On the October 31, 2009, issue of the Billboard Hot 100, the single debuted at number 76. Wonder Girls became the first South Korean group to enter the chart. By February 2012, the single had sold in excess of 120,000 copies in the United States, of both digital and physical copies combined. The single became the best-selling physical single of the year in the United States, and topped the Year-End Chart of the Billboard Hot Single Sales which indicates the official physical singles chart. Nobody had sold over 78,000 downloads in the United States.
NCT127 – Regular
NCT127’s song titled Regular is the title track of the Regular-Irregular album. The English version lyrics of Regular werewritten by Vedo, Taeyong, and Mark. Meanwhile, the song is produced by Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens, Vedo, George Kranz, and Yoo Young-jin.
Some artists do not have other differences in their music video if they are releasing an English version of it, but NCT127 made differences between the Korean and English versions of the Regular video. You should go see it now!
GOT7 – Lullaby
GOT7’s song titled Lullaby was released on Monday, September 17, 2018, in all four versions of it. This boy-band under the auspices of JYP released their latest song in not one, or two, or three languages, but in Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and English. A funky house and synth-pop hybrid, the track bounces around between groovy verses before exploding with its bass-heavy chorus, creating a modern-day “Lullaby” as the group’s vocalists let loose with soaring belts, especially Youngjae and Jinyoung.
The single was released with a fantastical music video full of magical effects, like Mary Poppins-esque, real-world animation and a flying car straight out of Harry Potter, as the members of GOT7 interact with a variety of scenes and worlds before they come together to perform the track’s sleek, seductive choreography.
The group explained that they released the quartet of versions due to their international fanbase, who are known as Ahgase or iGot7. Jinyoung said that they further realized the importance and love of fans all around the world during their world tour. They do read comments on the Internet, but feeling the fans’ energy at a concert is completely different. They felt like they could communicate directly with fans by speaking in their languages. That is why they decided to record the title track in four different languages.
BIG BANG – Lie
Big Bang’s song titled Lie was released on August 16, 2007, by YG Entertainment, as the first single from Big Bang’s first extended play, Always (2007). The song was written and composed by rapper G-Dragon. It became the group’s breakout hit, topping charts in their home country for several weeks and consequently winning Song of the Year at the 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards. The song remains one of their most critically acclaimed songs to date, and is often viewed as one of their signature songs.
The English version of Lie was released under the album For the World. For the World is the first Japanese extended play by the Korean hip-hop group Big Bang. The EP contains eight English songs with hip-hop, dance, and soul elements, co-composed and written by band member G-Dragon. For the World reached number 53 on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart, and as high as 13 on the daily chart.
RED VELVET – Bad Boy
Red Velvet’s song titled Bad Boy was released on January 29, 2018, along with the album and an accompanying music video. Written by S.M. Entertainment artist and songwriter Yoo Young-jin, and produced by The Stereotypes, Eazy, Maxx Song, and Whitney Philips, Bad Boy is primarily an R&B song with elements of hip-hop that has a synth melody and heavy bass sound. Its lyrics describe a relationship between the titular “bad boy” and a cold woman.
The song was well-received by critics overseas, and in the group’s native country, South Korea, who praised the music, the music video and its choreography, and the group’s transition to a sexy concept, something they had never attempted before. Bad Boy was included in Billboard’s ‘100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics’ Picks’ list, and topped their annual ’20 Best K-pop Songs of 2018: Critics’ Picks’ list. They were the first female act to top this chart. Dazed also included the song in their ’20 best K-pop songs of 2018′.
Commercially, the song was a domestic and international success, topping the Gaon Download Chart and charting at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart in South Korea. It charted at number two on Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart.
As of October 2019, it has sold over 500,000 units in the United States, has 233 million views on YouTube, and 100 million streams on Spotify. The group entered the Canadian Hot 100 for the first time with the song, making them only the seventh K-pop artist and the third female act to appear on the chart. It also charted in Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
